The Thunder ended up securing Ibaka with a long-term extension
this offseason, providing the first signal that Harden's days in
Oklahoma City might be numbered. With Ibaka's deal done, there
wasn't enough salary cap space left to come close to Harden's
demands and he was shipped off to Houston in a trade just before
the season.

Meanwhile, Ibaka has quietly been giving Oklahoma City its
money's worth. As one of the NBA's most accurate shooters, he's
averaging a career-high 14.3 points and leading the Thunder in
rebounding (8.5).

''I work hard. I try to do my best I can, getting better and
better,'' Ibaka said. ''I don't want just to be like people used to
know Serge Ibaka four years ago.

''Now is my fourth year in the NBA, so I try to get better at
everything.''

When Ibaka first joined the Thunder, the expectations for the
Republic of Congo native were minimal. Coach Scott Brooks
repeatedly said his role was simply about playing defense and
providing energy. That was a starting point after Ibaka was the
20th pick in the 2008 draft and spent an extra season playing in
Europe to develop before heading to the NBA.

Since then, he's growing - not only developing his game but
learning English. He earned an endorsement deal with Sprite around
the time the player nicknamed ''Air Congo'' appeared in last year's
slam dunk competition and threw one down after taking off from the
free-throw line.

He moved into the starting lineup and led the league in blocks
two straight years, even more impactful because of how his defense
helped trigger Oklahoma City's fast-break offense with All-Stars
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Now he's getting more offensive chances with the departure of
Harden, the NBA's top-scoring reserve last season. So far this
season, Ibaka is averaging about five more points and his 2.9-block
average is behind only Milwaukee's Larry Sanders.

''Obviously, his offensive game is expanded and he's still
blocking shots and rebounding,'' said veteran Nick Collison,
Ibaka's backup. ''But I think his focus is a lot better.
Defensively, he's where he should be. He's not getting lost. He's
been great for us.''

Ibaka's biggest offensive impact comes from offensive rebounds
and springing free for mid-range jumpers when defenses crowd Durant
and Westbrook on the pick and roll. It's a shot Ibaka has mastered
over the past few years, taking dozens of them at the end of
practice.

''He's a machine,'' Collison said. ''He's been that way since
he's been here. He works and he puts in as much time as anybody.
He's very serious about his work and it shows. He's improved a lot
since he's been here.''

Earlier this season, Brooks said there may be no one on the team
he'd rather see shoot a mid-range jumper. The statistics back him
up. Ibaka is tied for fifth in the NBA, making 56 percent of his
shots, and he's working toward improving his range to where he can
reliably make a corner 3-pointer.

While he may never be the focal point for Oklahoma City, Ibaka
is developing more ways to contribute to the NBA's highest-scoring
offense.

''I know when you have a team with Westbrook and Kevin Durant,
one of the best scorers in the league, every night you will not
touch the ball but just be ready whenever it comes to you and try
to make plays,'' Ibaka said.

Some of Ibaka's top performances have come in some marquee games
for the Thunder. He matched his regular-season high with 25 points
and had 17 rebounds in a Western Conference finals rematch against
San Antonio and had 23 points and nine rebounds in Harden's
much-anticipated return to Oklahoma City with Houston.

He has four 20-point games already this season, after having
just two in his first three NBA seasons - along with a few in the
playoffs.

''Now we expect it from him,'' Durant said. ''When he has a
double-double, it's not like, `Breaking news: Serge had a
double-double!' It's normal for him now. He's playing well for us,
and we're going to need that from him all season.''

The Thunder went into the weekend percentage points ahead of the
Los Angeles Clippers for the NBA's best record, with a difficult
stretch ahead featuring 11 of their next 13 games on the road. It
starts with a back-to-back set Sunday at Toronto and Monday at
Washington.

''He's playing well. Teams are playing small against us, so he's
hurting them on the offensive glass and he's making teams go big,''
Durant said. ''That's to our advantage when we've got the big
fellas in there. He's doing a great job on the offensive boards,
shooting the basketball well and he's just playing with a lot of
confidence.''

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